80-Year-Old Fights and Escapes Bear

(And is thrown off a cliff in the process)

When Russian shepherd Yusuf Alchagirov wandered out to a field in Kabardino-Balkaria last week, his intent was to pick raspberries. Instead, the 80-year-old ended up brawling with a bear.

According to the Guardian, the animal behaved aggressively, but the old man fought back, kicking and headbutting with enough force to knock it off balance—which, of course, irritated the bear. So much so, in fact, that the animal “tossed him off a cliff and sauntered away,” according to a television interview.

The shepherd, who sustained bruises, bite wounds, and four broken ribs, was hospitalized briefly.

"I got off easy," he says. "It would have killed me if I'd chickened out." Alchagirov celebrated his recovery with three traditional pies.

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